Ruthie Birger
She/Her, They/Them
I am queer and I am a postdoc in infectious disease modeling. //
I’m a native New Yorker and postdoctoral research fellow at Columbia University at the Mailman School of Public Health and the Earth Institute; my research focuses on using mathematical models to better understand and control the spread of disease. During my time studying applied math as an undergrad, I learned that math could be used for answering public health questions and got really excited about that, so I went on to do a master’s in epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. I stayed in the UK for a few more years, working in public health, before coming back to the East Coast to do my PhD in ecology and evolutionary biology at Princeton University, where I was affiliated with a cross-departmental association for Women in Science, and the LGBT center. In my spare time, I enjoy doing and watching ballet, watching (but not doing) opera, and figuring out ways to cook elaborate meals in my tiny NYC kitchen.
Twitter: @ruthiebirger